One of the things the hubs misses most about his pre-vegan/pre-vegetarian days are those things they serve in bars, deep-fried, and covered in hot sauce. I refuse to say what they are because what they are makes me want to cry. Especially considering the fact that they sell these by the dozens, it's heart-wrenching to my animal loving, vegan soul. And yes, I am one of those people that cries when I pass a truck full of cows, pigs, chickens or any farm animal as I know that wherever they are going it's sure to be a sad ending. I send my prayers up to the universe that they please have an amazing and safe place in heaven to be free, play in the sun, mud, or even just to feel the grass at their feet. And I also ask that if there isn't a special place in heaven for them, that I want them to go to mine. I promise that I will take care of them when my day comes. So maybe sometime when we all cross over into the next journey you'll be able to find me surrounded by thousands of animals. That would surely be heaven. So it's my duty to give you something so good that whenever you think of Buffalo hot sauce, it's complete with a vision of vegan beer-battered covered, deep-fried seitan... or shall we say seitan Buffalo bites? Either way it equals yumm. The batter, by the way, is also awesome to make onion rings with. The recipe that inspired us came from Saveur Beer Batter. The batter recipe makes a lot, so you may want to make rings regardless I like to promote healthier recipes, but honestly this isn't one, so please eat sparingly. But if it saves a few sweet chickens then I have to support it and share it. Especially in case there are any of you out there who want some traditional bar food deep-fried yumminess to scarf down with a nice cold summer pale ale. And the best part is that this is bar food with compassion. Cheers!

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1-1/2 T hot paprika

1 T dry mustard

1 T baking powder

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp agave syrup

16 oz beer, whatever kind you like

12 or 16 oz container of seitan

1 bottle of your favorite buffalo or hot sauce

canola oil for frying

Directions:

Rinse seitan well under cold water, drain, and pull into 1/2" to 3/4" chucks or strips. You don't need to be exact even the shape, just try to get similar sized portions. Next dry the seitan very well with paper towels. Try to get as much of the moisture off as possible. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through salt. Add agave and beer and whisk until smooth. Add more beer if the batter is too thick, it should be similar in consistency to pancake batter. Let sit for 10 minutes. While batter is resting, preheat 2" of oil to medium-high heat in your favorite frying pan, the oil should only come about halfway up the pan or less so there is room for the bubbling during frying. We actually use a medium soup pan, as it has high sides and we just fry up small batches of 3 or 4 at a time. The ideal temperature is 375 degrees, but you can test the oil for correct temperature by adding in a small drop of batter, if it instantly sizzles and floats to the top you are ready.

Depending on the size of your pan, dredge 3-4 pieces of seitan in the batter and add carefully to the hot oil, one at a time. You don't want to crowd the pan, leave lots of room for these to swim around. These will cook quickly, so after a minute or two flip them over and cook again another minute or two until they are golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack with paper towels or a dish towel underneath to catch any crumbs or oil drips. Repeat the dredging and frying process until all the seitan is cooked. Now you can either toss them gently in a bowl with the hot sauce until they are well coated or you can just serve them with the hot sauce in a dipping bowl on the side. Completely up to you. They will lose their crispness quickly after being drenched in the sauce, but they are still melt-in-your-mouth amazing. Serve these up with some celery and carrot sticks and don't forget the beer! Serves 6-10 people (depending on how many everyone eats).